Progress for the Poor

Lane Kenworthy

Addresses a set of key questions at the heart of political economy and public policy

Draws on the experiences of twenty countries since the 1970s

Progress for the Poor

Lane Kenworthy

Description

One of the principal goals of antipoverty efforts should be to improve the absolute living standards of the least well-off. This book aims to enhance our understanding of how to do that, drawing on the experiences of twenty affluent countries since the 1970s.

The book addresses a set of questions at the heart of political economy and public policy: How much does economic growth help the poor? When and why does growth fail to trickle down? How can social policy help? Can a country have a sizeable low-wage sector yet few poor households? Are universal programs better than targeted ones? What role can public services play in antipoverty efforts? What is the best tax mix? Is more social spending better for the poor? If we commit to improvement in the absolute
living standards of the least well-off, must we sacrifice other desirable outcomes?

Progress for the Poor

Lane Kenworthy

Table of Contents

1. Raise the Floor2. Growth is Good for the Poor, if Social Policy Passes It On3. How Trickle Down Can Fail: the U.S. Case4. Generous Social Policy Reduces Material Deprivation5. Low Wages Need Not Mean Low Incomes6. Targeting May Not Be So Bad7. Public Services Are an Important Antipoverty Tool8. The Tax Mix Matters Less Than We Thought9. The Aim Is Not Spending Per Se10. Tradeoffs?11. The Politics of Helping the PoorAcknowledgmentsAppendix: Data Definitions and SourcesNotesReferencesIndex

Progress for the Poor

Lane Kenworthy

Author Information

Lane Kenworthy studies the causes and consequences of poverty, inequality, mobility, employment, economic growth, social policy, taxes, and public opinion in affluent countries. In addition to Progress for the Poor, he is the author of Jobs with Equality (Oxford University Press, 2008), Egalitarian Capitalism (Russell Sage Foundation, 2004),In Search of National Economic Success (Sage, 1995), and articles in various social science journals. He also writes on these topics at his blog, Consider the Evidence. He is professor of sociology and political science at the University of Arizona.